I was hoping for an objective review rather than a fanboy review, and I think I got it. Helen has raised some fair criticisms but overall seems very excited by this film, which is really all that us Potter fans could have hoped for.

Four stars was probably all this film could ever have hoped for so it sounds like a job well done by the production team.

Now I just need to wait another week [:D]

Dave Oz -> (8/7/2011 12:11:57 PM)

I hope these decent 4-star reviews (from other publications too that I've seen so far) are indicative of the actual quality of the film, rather than a misty-eyed, end-of-an-era gesture to allow the film to go-out on a critical high. In my opinion 'Prisoner of Azkaban' is the peak of this movie franchise, and I look forward to watching DH2 to see if it does indeed match those heights.

Swedle -> RE: (8/7/2011 12:25:27 PM)

I've read the books and seen all the films, safe to say i'm more excited to see part 2 than any normal 18-year-old should be! I know it's the 'end of an era' so a lot of reviews will focus on that (it annoys me when large franchises end and people focus on the fact that it's over, rather than the quality of the film, i thought it was so unfair when the best animated film oscar went to toy story 3 just because it was the climax of a huge trilogy, rather than how to train your dragon, which was a much better film in many ways) I think the quality of the harry potter films has been fairly consistant, although half blood prince was dissapointing in my opinion, mostly, the films have been enjoyable (especially when you watch the first two and can't help but think how damn sweet all the actors were back then!) and i'm looking forward to seeing it next friday (at the midnight showing nonthless) :)

wild geese mad -> Good....not best (8/7/2011 1:29:46 PM)

Having been lucky enough to get tickets for the premiere I was really looking forward to seeing the HP swansong. And while not being disapointed I did feel a little, cheated I guess. See I thought this was the battle to end all battles, the end of days, david vs goliath etc, and to be honest I felt the battle in order of the phoenix was better. Great acting from all, but think they tried to cram too many characters into too short a film, the shortest of the lot, and it feels rushed a bit! Die hard potter fans will love it though I'm sure! Daniel Radcliffe truly shines and is not outdone by anyone for once which is quite fitting really, though its still Mr Grint who gets the best one liners.

Qwerty Norris -> RE: Good....not best (8/7/2011 1:34:31 PM)

With a good review here hopefully this thread can stay clear of the "review of a review" disease that spreads around these parts like wild fire.

Looking forward to next Friday already....[:)]

jokerjoker2896 -> Just one question (8/7/2011 4:56:43 PM)

Dear Empire, |I'd just like to ask if the 3D is any good. I know it's not a main part, but it's good to mention something like that nina review of a film with 3d in it

Robby D -> The Finale (8/7/2011 6:26:11 PM)

I was lucky enough to start reading the books when they first came out at the same age as the characters - 11. It has been a story that has stayed with me and I am sure will continue to stay with me. For me, none of the films have ever lived up to the books, (when do they ever?) too many changes and cuts were made, but I understand why they were done and as films in their own right they are superb, They still encapsulate the universe brilliantly and I am looking forward to this final installment with more excitement than I have felt for a while. My rating is based on what I hope and believe it will be

Soundburst -> Empire Sellout. . . (8/7/2011 7:44:31 PM)

Disappointing from Empire.

All the great movies you've given 4's too. . .and you put this predictable repetitive trash amongst them?

Cringe worthy. I remember when this magazine had standards.

Spaldron -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (8/7/2011 7:48:37 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Soundburst

Disappointing from Empire.

All the great movies you've given 4's too. . .and you put this predictable repetitive trash amongst them?

Cringe worthy. I remember when this magazine had standards.

Soundburst, have you actually seen the film?

superdan -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (8/7/2011 7:54:59 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Spaldron

quote:

ORIGINAL: Soundburst

Disappointing from Empire.

All the great movies you've given 4's too. . .and you put this predictable repetitive trash amongst them?

You need to get back to your A-Game; reviewing movies truthfully, and honestly, and not sticking a 4 on every big bucks release just to sell issues.

It made me so angry when they did that with Transformers 3...Wait ...what they only gave that 2 stars?

MonsterCat -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (8/7/2011 9:03:28 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Soundburst

You need to get back to your A-Game; reviewing movies truthfully, and honestly, and not sticking a 4 on every big bucks release just to sell issues.

You mean like they did with The Green Lantern and Transformers: The Dark Side of Pink Floyd?

Swedle -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (8/7/2011 10:14:28 PM)

why do people hate big franchises on principle? it's sad that people have to stereotype... I like harry potter, but i'm not going to say 'ooh it's brilliant'. if it's a bad film, i'll accept that it is, but in Empire i trust, and everyone makes mistakes!

You need to get back to your A-Game; reviewing movies truthfully, and honestly, and not sticking a 4 on every big bucks release just to sell issues.

You didn't answer the question, have you seen the film?

I think their silence speaks volume and the smell of faeces drifts off their post...

jobloffski -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (8/7/2011 10:46:52 PM)

A lot of this may seem irrelevant, but trust me, it all builds to a point...Firstly I would say I haven't seen the film yet.

But I would also say:

Prior to reading any of the books I was as harsh a critic of the whole idea of adults doing so as you could imagine. I watched the first two films, and remained largely unconvinced. But then I thought what the hell and took up a cheap offer for a box set of books 1-5. And something started to happen. I felt like I was reading kids books until the third, and then I realised that I was reading something I had never read before, a series of books in which the tone and content of the books grew up as the characters did. I noted that the books were doing two things: telling kids about the increasing complications of life as you get older AND reminding adult readers of what it felt like to be a kid growing up.

By the time I was reading the last book, I was thinking 'that's gonna look so fucking cool on screen' but I was also thinking 'these books are the kind of books where if you are an adult, you truly know how dark these ideas are at times but if you are a kid you are going to be taken in by all the magic stuff'. That's a balance Rowling's critics will never strike.

Regardless of any potential criticism of the writing of the books, which can be made if you really want to look for it, the thing that is most captivating about them is the amount of imagination they contain that incorporates sometimes very adult material without the easy option of explicit bad language and violence (the very things supposedly adult material contains at times in place of ideas/character/emotion/etc). There is also a satirical edge in the books (portrayal of the press and politicians and piss taking of new tech like tivo) that the films haven't had the room to incorporate.

And the world the stories described, which ultimately transcends the inspirations for the concepts explored, began to provide all the reasons to continue reading, Far more than the films, the books allowed you to live with the characters and feel for them (eg Neville and the tragic fate of his parents) and therefore readers of the books, even if dissatisfied at times with the films not really having a chance of getting all the 'heart' into them, people could view the films with some degree of wider knowledge and see more in the films than non readers would.

Beginning to blah blah too much, so, in short, IF the final film gets anywhere near the 'it all comes down to this' feeling of the books, even if the final two films cant get anywhere near the levels of terror adult readers can perceive in the words on the page (specifically due to the nazi parallels and the number of of casually dealt out deaths referred to) then the final films would have been a major achievement.

And as a reader, finding out that the reason JK wrote the books was to get help her get over losing her mother and concluding, via writing that the people we lose along the way in life make us who we are and never truly leave us, that added a tinge of reality to the fantasy tale that is unashamedly emotional and totally heartbreaking if you have the balls to allow yourself to feel the emotions you need to feel to truly grasp what JK has achieved as a storyteller. There isn't anybody currently writing that has approached such a level of sheer humanity in the tale being told, and under all the wand waving, there is a reality and human vulnerability that so called literary writers simply don't have the balls to touch, because their writing is about writing, not emotion. When reading the Deathly Hallows, and when Harry is surrounded by the spirits of those he has lost, and is becoming the man their influence has made him, that may well be the most emotionally affecting thing i have read in my life, and as someone who writes, I can only bow down in utter humility at the culmination of all the Potter writing that built up to that point.

The Harry Potter 'phenomenon' exists solely because a woman wanted/needed to express her pain at losing loved ones and find the strength to go on living. That is the power under her writing and it is that sheer humanity that is the reason she has touched so many, because under the mask of fantasy, she has laid bare the harshest realities people will ever have to face.

And if the new film comes within touching distance of making Harry Potter seem like the Everyman/woman who has to face the darkness within him/her self and still find the strength to go on living in a world where the pain of losing the ones we love is inevitable, then it will be a very major achievement. And it will transcend all criticism, because the criticism will generally come from those who want to be seen to be tough/clever, rather than those who accept weakness/tears as part of being human. Ironically, the criticism will come from those who cannot accept the harsh realities of life underpinning Rowling's words, the Voldermorts among us who cannot accept the realities of life and want to be, or at least be seen to be, untouchable/invulnerable/all powerful.

Love destroys evil. Under all the magic gubbins, is there any better message any writer could try to impart? As hard as it may be to believe in, as cheesy as it may appear when our cynicism offers the feeling of power we want to feel, is there anything more important than the belief that the spark of humanity that wont go out can save us from the darkness inherent in each of us?

Considering how the 'real world politik' has gone in the last decade, a fundamental belief in the potential goodness of humanity has never been more important than it is right now. And ultimately, I don;t think JKR has done anything but say that sort of thing,

I formed such thoughts while reading the books, And a 4 star film capping such thoughts off will do me fine, Because when reading the Deathly Hallows, I was concerned that Harry Potter might die. And that was purely the result of 'seeing him grow up' via the books and having the kind of reaction that would never have been possible had there not been enough in the books to pull that feeling from my too often cynical, care home/foster home raised soul. JK Rowling did something special.

Nuff said.

dayboy76 -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (8/7/2011 11:10:31 PM)

Oh surprise surprise! A Harry Potter film gets a good review and the haters start coming out with unsubstantiated comments regarding Empire selling out just because their personal opinion is "Harry Potter films = crap". Based on a couple of newspaper reviews I scanned briefly today (in the broadsheets I hasten to add) Empire's review seems pretty much in line, as they too awarded the film 4 stars out of 5. Could it be that the film is actually rather good, and that a 4 star review is simply a fair and honest judgement? Why do the cynics always have to equate a barrage of hype with a poor end product? Admittedly a lot of bad films ARE over-hyped as a means of masking their shortcomings, but a lot of good ones receive the same level of pre-release exposure, but deservedly so, as they are actually worth seeing!

nickyoung -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (9/7/2011 7:27:43 AM)

Nice reviews about this movie.. I'm also a huge fan of this series and I really enjoyed it..

jonson -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (9/7/2011 9:40:25 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jobloffski

A lot of this may seem irrelevant, but trust me, it all builds to a point...Firstly I would say I haven't seen the film yet.

But I would also say:

Prior to reading any of the books I was as harsh a critic of the whole idea of adults doing so as you could imagine. I watched the first two films, and remained largely unconvinced. But then I thought what the hell and took up a cheap offer for a box set of books 1-5. And something started to happen. I felt like I was reading kids books until the third, and then I realised that I was reading something I had never read before, a series of books in which the tone and content of the books grew up as the characters did. I noted that the books were doing two things: telling kids about the increasing complications of life as you get older AND reminding adult readers of what it felt like to be a kid growing up.

By the time I was reading the last book, I was thinking 'that's gonna look so fucking cool on screen' but I was also thinking 'these books are the kind of books where if you are an adult, you truly know how dark these ideas are at times but if you are a kid you are going to be taken in by all the magic stuff'. That's a balance Rowling's critics will never strike.

Regardless of any potential criticism of the writing of the books, which can be made if you really want to look for it, the thing that is most captivating about them is the amount of imagination they contain that incorporates sometimes very adult material without the easy option of explicit bad language and violence (the very things supposedly adult material contains at times in place of ideas/character/emotion/etc). There is also a satirical edge in the books (portrayal of the press and politicians and piss taking of new tech like tivo) that the films haven't had the room to incorporate.

And the world the stories described, which ultimately transcends the inspirations for the concepts explored, began to provide all the reasons to continue reading, Far more than the films, the books allowed you to live with the characters and feel for them (eg Neville and the tragic fate of his parents) and therefore readers of the books, even if dissatisfied at times with the films not really having a chance of getting all the 'heart' into them, people could view the films with some degree of wider knowledge and see more in the films than non readers would.

Beginning to blah blah too much, so, in short, IF the final film gets anywhere near the 'it all comes down to this' feeling of the books, even if the final two films cant get anywhere near the levels of terror adult readers can perceive in the words on the page (specifically due to the nazi parallels and the number of of casually dealt out deaths referred to) then the final films would have been a major achievement.

And as a reader, finding out that the reason JK wrote the books was to get help her get over losing her mother and concluding, via writing that the people we lose along the way in life make us who we are and never truly leave us, that added a tinge of reality to the fantasy tale that is unashamedly emotional and totally heartbreaking if you have the balls to allow yourself to feel the emotions you need to feel to truly grasp what JK has achieved as a storyteller. There isn't anybody currently writing that has approached such a level of sheer humanity in the tale being told, and under all the wand waving, there is a reality and human vulnerability that so called literary writers simply don't have the balls to touch, because their writing is about writing, not emotion. When reading the Deathly Hallows, and when Harry is surrounded by the spirits of those he has lost, and is becoming the man their influence has made him, that may well be the most emotionally affecting thing i have read in my life, and as someone who writes, I can only bow down in utter humility at the culmination of all the Potter writing that built up to that point.

The Harry Potter 'phenomenon' exists solely because a woman wanted/needed to express her pain at losing loved ones and find the strength to go on living. That is the power under her writing and it is that sheer humanity that is the reason she has touched so many, because under the mask of fantasy, she has laid bare the harshest realities people will ever have to face.

And if the new film comes within touching distance of making Harry Potter seem like the Everyman/woman who has to face the darkness within him/her self and still find the strength to go on living in a world where the pain of losing the ones we love is inevitable, then it will be a very major achievement. And it will transcend all criticism, because the criticism will generally come from those who want to be seen to be tough/clever, rather than those who accept weakness/tears as part of being human. Ironically, the criticism will come from those who cannot accept the harsh realities of life underpinning Rowling's words, the Voldermorts among us who cannot accept the realities of life and want to be, or at least be seen to be, untouchable/invulnerable/all powerful.

Love destroys evil. Under all the magic gubbins, is there any better message any writer could try to impart? As hard as it may be to believe in, as cheesy as it may appear when our cynicism offers the feeling of power we want to feel, is there anything more important than the belief that the spark of humanity that wont go out can save us from the darkness inherent in each of us?

Considering how the 'real world politik' has gone in the last decade, a fundamental belief in the potential goodness of humanity has never been more important than it is right now. And ultimately, I don;t think JKR has done anything but say that sort of thing,

I formed such thoughts while reading the books, And a 4 star film capping such thoughts off will do me fine, Because when reading the Deathly Hallows, I was concerned that Harry Potter might die. And that was purely the result of 'seeing him grow up' via the books and having the kind of reaction that would never have been possible had there not been enough in the books to pull that feeling from my too often cynical, care home/foster home raised soul. JK Rowling did something special.

Nuff said.

Cracking post jobloffski. I'm going to print that out and give it to the next person who says the books are shit.

jobloffski -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (9/7/2011 10:01:11 AM)

[:)]

Drone -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (9/7/2011 10:29:11 AM)

I don't understand some people; don't pay any mind to reviews. I've found throughout my life that reviews are completely by-and-by the way when it comes to something I want to see; I will watch it irrespective. If they all say the latest John Carpenter effort sucks balls, but you like the sound of it, you know you'll watch it sooner or later, regardless. If the latest Potter film gained one star alone, I'd still go and see it, because I want to based on the previews, stills, and other press. (And of course in this instance the fact I'm a huge fan of the books and previous films).

The sole reason I "use" reviews, is to find out about films I'm not familiar with, in which case if I'm in the mood for a good horror flick, and everyone says such and such is crap, I'll keep looking, and save it for a rainy day.

Who cares if the review received four unbias' stars, or four "fanboy" stars? (Which I'm sure isn't the case)... what difference does it make to any of your guys complaining about it? Do you want to see the film? Go see it. Do you think it looks awful? Don't go see it. 2+2=4.

People only think they rely on reviews. They don't really, personal desire will always out in the end.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jobloffski ......

I won't quote your post, but I thought it was a very good sentiment in regard to HP.

I'm disappointed it's all coming to an end; the next Potter film has always been a stable conmfort. Personally, I think JK Rowling in many years to come will revisit the Harry Potter universe and write more books in and around it, and I for one would be first to place my order!

crazymoviesdude -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (9/7/2011 10:48:32 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Drone

People only think they rely on reviews. They don't really, personal desire will always out in the end.

That's not true for me. I DO rely on reviews. If I want to see a movie, and it's universally panned, or even panned by a couple of critics I trust and have similar tastes to, I'll probably never see it. When money and time can't be wasted on crap, the opinions of people who have actually seen the movie can save me both. On the flip side they can get me doubly excited if a film I wanted to see is lauded. I rarely or never would see a movie in the cinema that I didn't want to see before, but gets good reviews though.

Drone -> RE: Empire Sellout. . . (9/7/2011 11:26:33 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: crazymoviesdude

quote:

ORIGINAL: Drone

People only think they rely on reviews. They don't really, personal desire will always out in the end.

That's not true for me. I DO rely on reviews. If I want to see a movie, and it's universally panned, or even panned by a couple of critics I trust and have similar tastes to, I'll probably never see it. When money and time can't be wasted on crap, the opinions of people who have actually seen the movie can save me both.

Your statement has a flip side, wherein for me the problem lies - I half fancied seeing Scott Pilgrim, and ended up watching it after a colleague loaned me the Blu Ray - and I thought it was abysmal. If I'd relied on the critics whom in the past I'd considered to be fairly well informed and smart however, I would have paid good money to go and see it, and been thoroughly disappointed.

If you rely on like minded people to dictate what you'll enjoy based on the hope they have similar tastes, you may be denying yourself something you'll enjoy tremendously. I use RT for a lot of my film news and info, and I would say the aggregate scores for a lot of films tallying up with my own enjoyment is about 50% - most of the low scoring movies thatI was interested to watch I've thought were very good or nowhere near as bad as the scores suggest, and a great may of the universally acclaimed high scorers haven't really impressed me to more than three stars.

Critics carry zero weight for me in light of something I have an interest in - same for books, music, and TV series.

J_BUltimatum -> Really?? (9/7/2011 1:18:44 PM)

Not a fan of Potter at all. The books are badly written and the plot is predictable (not of the movies, but of the series). The effects of the film are poor considering the amount of money used (and made on the series) and the pedigree of some films out just now (Hey, if you didn't like TransFormers, the effects are still mind blowing!) The only thing that saves this are the acting skills of a minor few (mainly backgorund characters... and Alan Rickman). Potter fans will love this, but for folk that aren't interested but want to see something at the cinema next week, they will come from the movie feeling robbed and wodering what happened to the summer blockbuster.